Nova Scotia RCMP were alerted to the discovery of a body on the island, in the Chester area, shortly before 9 a.m.

Police say the victim is a 47-year-old man, who lived on the island, and whose body was found in a field.

A 60-year-old man was arrested without incident around 10:15 a.m. and he remains in police custody.

The RCMP say the victim and the suspect are known to one another. Police also say the victim was shot and killed.

‚ÄúOne may argue it‚Äôs harder to escape from an island,‚ÄĚ said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Al LeBlanc, adding that there are more benefits than drawbacks to investigating a crime at this unique location.

About 20 to 30 people live on the island among tourists renting vacation cottages.

Little Tancook Island is in Chester Basin, about five kilometers from the mainland, and only accessible by ferry.

‚ÄúAccess to the crime scene is going to be more difficult than just driving a vehicle,‚ÄĚ said LeBlanc. ‚ÄúThe fact that you‚Äôre dealing with a small island in some ways helps the investigation because everybody knows everybody. The search area is pretty much contained.‚ÄĚ

People on the island described the incident as a ‚Äútragedy‚ÄĚ in their tightly-knit community, but were unwilling to discuss the affect it has had on the island when contacted by Metro.

South West Nova Major Crime investigators have been brought in for the case and LeBlanc said charges are expected to be laid against the 60-year-old man on Wednesday.